One of my favorite things to do is search for free samples. Before I go any further, though, here are my rules:
1. Always read the privacy policy. I never give out my info unless they say that they will not sell, rent, or trade my information.
2. Know with whom I am giving my information to. I only do these samples if it is from the manufacturer or the brand itself. There are some sites out there that will give away samples, and they are a third party. That makes me really weary. I have *never* done a sample from a third party, except one, Vocalpoint, and technically they are sponsored by a manufacturer. Otherwise, I just don't feel comfortable.
Okay, now on to the good stuff:
Why should you do all these samples? They're just small samples, right? Sometimes, yes. Other times, I can get a free full size product for absolutely nothing but the time it took to fill out my info. Even if it is just a small sample size, a lot of times, those are awesome for when I travel. I don't have to bring a full size product along, and I can throw away the packages for when I am coming home.
But, my favorite part is that these samples come with coupons! Most of the time, the coupons they give you will allow you to get a steep discount to actually getting the full size for free! For example, I got a carefree sample. It also came with a 50¢ coupon. Today, when I go to Publix, I can use that coupon to get a free full size package. Now, there might be printable coupons that I can get for this same deal, but that will cost me a piece of paper and ink. Ink is ridiculous! I'd rather have them print that coupon out for me. Plus I get a bonus sample to go with it. I think that's my mentality. It's not the sample, but the coupon that accompanies it.
Lately, tons of companies have been using facebook as a means of promotion by giving away coupons and samples. The Aussie giveaway is totally proof of that. When I first "liked" them, they had about 72,000 fans, which was less than the giveaway amount. However, by the time that they ran out of coupons, they had over 128,000 fans. These marketing tools work for them and us! I'll be able to get a free full size Aussie product once my coupon comes in. :)
Sampling is not for everyone, though. It kills me when I see people bad-mouthing the company on their facebook wall just because they didn't get the sample. When you do this, it helps to know your odds. I felt secure with the Aussie one, but sometimes they'll have 300,000 fans and only giveaway 2500 samples. Odds are, I probably won't get it. PLEASE go into this with the mentality that, if I get it, great, otherwise, oh well. I know it's frustrating to get your hopes up, try to get through for a few minutes only for it to never go. I've been there. I will not stop buying their product, though, just because they didn't give me a sample. They don't have to give anyone a sample. (Coming off my soapbox now)
Seriously, though, if you do want to do this, please be patient. Word to the wise: if you try to do these facebook giveaways, and it takes forever to load, be PATIENT! I cannot tell you how many of these I got just because I chose to do something else while it loaded. Slow loading=loading! Quick to the error message=not loading! Do not be tempted to refresh if it takes a while. ;)
Now, how can you know about all of the good freebies to get? If you look to the right of my page, you'll see a section called "Labels." Look for "freebies," and click. That will take you to all of the posts I have written about getting freebies!
Happy sampling!
PS...feel free to ask questions!
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